Ashtray apparatus

ABSTRACT

An ashtray apparatus mounting a disposable bottle is provided, wherein the organization includes a forward and rear mounting block, with each mounting block including an aligned semi-cylindrical saddle to receive the bottle thereon. The bottle includes a first diameter and a forward end, with an opening of a second reduced diameter to receive a cigarette therewithin, wherein the cigarette is permitted to extinguish within the bottle upon prolonged positioning within the bottle permitting subsequent disposal of the bottle and cigarette debris. A modification of the invention includes a securement strap arranged for securing the bottle fixedly to the mounting blocks, as well as a truncated conical cork receivable within the second diameter opening, with the cork including a coaxially arranged filter portion directed therethrough to effect filtering of smoke contained within the bottle. The organization may further include a forward semi-cylindrical support mounted within the forward saddle of the forward block to permit raising of the semi-cylindrical support to compensate for variously configured bottles positioned within the support blocks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The field of invention relates to ashtray apparatus, and moreparticularly pertains to a new and improved ashtray apparatus whereinthe same includes a disposable bottle for permitting discarding of thebottle and associated cigarette debris contained within the bottle.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Various ashtray apparatus has been provided in the prior art to containcigarette debris resulting from cigarette smoking. Examples of the priorart include U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,014 to Carr wherein a tray member ismounted to a top portion of a beverage container permitting disposing ofthe container and debris contained therewithin subsequent to a smokingevent.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,036 to Harvey, et al. sets forth a further exampleof a disposable ashtray in a generally "X" shaped configurationutilizing a liner mounted within the "X" shaped support stand, whereinthe liner may be disposed of subsequent to its use.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,472 to Su sets forth a disposable ashtray, with abody portion and corrugated tray formed out of tinned paper. Thecigarettes may be placed slant-wise in the body portion without beingextinguished, wherein the ashtray organization may be disposed ofsubsequent to use.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,352 to Chen sets forth a disposable ashtray andholder, wherein a plurality of secured sheets includes one mouth-likeopening, including an integral tongue functioning as a platform forsecuring a cigarette therewithin, with a stand for supporting thesheets.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,683 to Lawbaugh sets forth an ashtray with adisposable liner, wherein the ashtray is in a bowl-shaped configurationwith a liner including snuffing inserts mounted within the liner topermit snuffing of cigarettes.

As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for anew and improved ashtray apparatus as set forth by the instant inventionwhich addresses both the problems of ease of use as well aseffectiveness in construction in providing a disposable organizationpermitting disposal of cigarettes and debris therefrom subsequent to asmoking event and in this respect, the present invention substantiallyfulfills this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofdisposable ashtray apparatus now present in the prior art, the presentinvention provides an ashtray apparatus wherein the same utilizes abottle member mounted adjustably within spaced supports permittingdisposal of the bottle subsequent to use. As such, the general purposeof the present invention, which will be described subsequently ingreater detail, is to provide a new and improved ashtray apparatus whichhas all the advantages of the prior art disposable ashtray apparatus andnone of the disadvantages.

To attain this, the present invention provides an ashtray apparatusmounting a disposable bottle, wherein the organization includes aforward and rear mounting block, with each mounting block including analigned semi-cylindrical saddle to receive the bottle thereon. Thebottle includes a first diameter and a forward end, with an opening of asecond reduced diameter to receive a cigarette therewithin, wherein thecigarette is permitted to extenguish within the bottle upon prolongedpositioning within the bottler permitting subsequent disposal of thebottle and cigarette debris. A modification of the invention includes asecurement strap arranged for securing the bottle fixedly to themounting blocks, as well as a truncated conical cork receivable withinthe second diameter opening, with the cork including a coaxiallyarranged filter portion directed therethrough to effect filtering ofsmoke contained within the bottle. The organization may further includea forward semi-cylindrical support mounted within the forward saddle ofthe forward block to permit raising of the semi-cylindrical support tocompensate for variously configured bottles positioned within thesupport blocks.

My invention resides not in any one of these features per se, but ratherin the particular combination of all of them herein disclosed andclaimed and it is distinguished from the prior art in this particularcombination of all of its structures for the functions specified.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course,additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafterand which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon whichthis disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for thedesigning of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out theseveral purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore,that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructionsinsofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application. The abstract is neither intended to define theinvention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is itintended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved ashtray apparatus which has all the advantages of the prior artdisposable ashtray apparatus and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved ashtray apparatus which may be easily and efficientlymanufactured and marketed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved ashtray apparatus which is of a durable and reliableconstruction.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved ashtray apparatus which is susceptible of a low cost ofmanufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and whichaccordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consumingpublic, thereby making such ashtray apparatus economically available tothe buying public.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newand improved ashtray apparatus which provides in the apparatuses andmethods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, whilesimultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associatedtherewith.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved ashtray apparatus wherein the same provides for an organizationaccommodating variously configured bottles for their support with theorganization permitting their use and subsequent disposal subsequent toa smoking event.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with thevarious features of novelty which characterize the invention, arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric illustration of a prior art disposable ashtrayapparatus.

FIG. 2 is an isometric illustration of the instant invention.

FIG. 3 is an isometric illustration of the instant invention utilizing acork and filter member positionable within the opening of the bottle.

FIG. 4 is a further modified isometric illustration of the instantinvention utilizing a securement strap to ensure fixed positioning ofthe bottle within the support organization.

FIG. 5 is an orthographic front view, taken in elevation, of a modifiedfront support utilizing an adjustable semi-cylindrical support.

FIG. 6 is an orthographic frontal view, taken in elevation, of thesemi-cylindrical support in an elevated configuration.

FIG. 7 is an orthographic view of the semi-cylindrical support andmechanism, taken along the lines 7--7 of FIG. 6 in the directionindicated by the arrows.

FIG. 8 is an isometric illustration of the modified invention utilizingthe securement strap, the filtration plug, and the adjustable frontsupport.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 to 8thereof, a new and improved ashtray apparatus embodying the principlesand concepts of the present invention and generally designated by thereference numeral 10 will be described.

FIG. 1 is an isometric illustration of a prior art disposable ashtrayapparatus 1, wherein a tray member 2 is provided with a slot 3 toreceive a tab 4 of an underlying container to position the trayoverlying the opening of the container for receiving cigarette debrisinto the container, as illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No.4,634,014.

More specifically, the ashtray apparatus 10 of the instant inventionessentially comprises a rear mounting block 11 parallel a forwardmounting block 12. The mounting blocks include a respective rearmounting wall top block 13 and a forward mounting block top wall 14. Thetop walls each include a respective saddle defined by a rearsemi-cylindrical saddle 15 and a forward semi-cylindrical saddle 16 thatare coaxially aligned relative to one another to receive an elongatebottle thereon defined by a predetermined length substantially equal toor greater than a saddle length defined between the spaced rear andforward saddles 15 and 16. The bottle 17 is of a conventionalconfiguration of a first diameter, with a tapered neck portion 18directed into a bottle opening 19 of a second diameter less than thefirst diameter. A cigarette member 20 is positioned within the bottleopening 19 to permit debris to accumulate within the bottle or permitextinguishment of the cigarette member 20 upon prolonged positioningwithin the bottle 17, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Subsequent to use, thebottle 17 may be discarded with a further bottle positioned within thesaddles 15 and 16. It should be noted that a connecting block 21orthogonally and integrally joined to a forward wall of the rearmounting block 11 and a rear wall of the forward mounting block 12 joinsand positions the mounting blocks in the spaced parallel relationship,as noted.

FIG. 3 illustrates a modified apparatus 10a, wherein a tether line 22 isfixedly mounted to a forward wall of the forward mounting block 12, andincludes a truncated conical cork member 23 mounted at a forward end ofthe tether line spaced from the mounting block, wherein the cork isarranged for securement within the bottle to contain the componentstherewithin between interval use of the bottle in various smokingevents. A coaxially positioned filter member 24 is directed throughoutthe cork member 23 to permit exchange of air within the bottle tominimize offensive odors emanating therefrom when the cork member isremoved.

FIG. 4 illustrates a modified ashtray apparatus, wherein additionallythe organization includes a circumferential securement strap 25 that ismounted to a first side of the connecting block 21 and is secured to ablock hook and loop surface 26 mounted to a second side of theconnecting block 21. The circumferential securement strap 25 includes astrap hook and loop fastener surface 25a directed through an interiorsurface of the strap of a greater length than a contacting width definedby the block hook and loop fastener surface 26 to permit circumferentialadjustment of the strap 25 about an associated bottle 17 to accommodatebottle 17 of varying diameters.

FIG. 8 illustrates the use of the organization 10c, including asemi-cylindrical support 27 (see FIGS. 5, 6, and 7) that includes athreaded support rod 28 fixedly and medially mounted to a bottom surfaceof the semi-cylindrical support 27, wherein the semi-cylindrical supportcomplementarily receiving within the forward semi-cylindrical saddle 26.The threaded support rod 28 is received within an alignment bore 29within a modified forward mounting block 12a, with a through-extendingslot 31 directed orthogonally through the block 12a underlying thesaddle 16 and receiving a rotatable thumb wheel 30 that threadedlyreceives the support rod 28 coaxially therethrough. Accordingly,rotation of the thumb wheel 30 effects a lifting or retraction of thesemi-cylindrical support 27 relative to the forward saddle 16 toaccommodate bottles of varying configurations, as required.

As to the manner of usage and operation of the instant invention, thesame should be apparent from the above disclosure, and accordingly nofurther discussion relative to the manner of usage and operation of theinstant invention shall be provided.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized thatthe optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, toinclude variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and mannerof operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obviousto one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to thoseillustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

What is claimed as being new and desired to be protected by LettersPatent of the United States is as follows:
 1. An ashtray apparatuscomprising, in combination,a rear mounting block spaced from a forwardmounting block, the rear mounting block includes a rear semi-cylindricalsaddle, and the forward mounting block includes a forwardsemi-cylindrical saddle, wherein the rear and forward semi-cylindricalsaddles are coaxially aligned relative to one another, and the rear andforward saddles are spaced apart a predetermined spacing, and anelongate bottle defined by a predetermined length substantially equal toor greater than the predetermined spacing mounted upon the rear andforward saddle, and wherein a connecting block is orthogonally mountedto a forward wall of the rear mounting block and orthogonally mounted toa rear wall of the forward mounting block to maintain the rear andforward saddles in the predetermined spacing, and including a tetherline fixedly mounted to the forward mounting block at a rear terminalend of the tether line, and the forward end of the tether line fixedlymounted to a truncated conical cork member, the cork member including acoaxially directed filter member directed coextensively through the corkmember for securement within an opening of the bottle.
 2. An apparatusas set forth in claim 1 wherein the connecting block includes a firstside and a second side, a circumferential securement strap mounted tothe first side, and the second side including a block hook and loopfastener surface defined by a predetermined width, the securement strapincluding a strap hook and loop fastener surface defined by a straplength greater than the predetermined width to secure the bottle on theforward and rear saddles.
 3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2wherein a semi-cylindrical support is complementarily mounted removablewithin the forward saddle, the semi-cylindrical support includes athreaded support rod orthogonally and medially mounted to a bottomsurface of the semi-cylindrical support, the threaded support rodreceived through an alignment bore directed through the forward mountingblock, and the forward mounting block including a through-extending slotdirected orthogonally through the forward mounting block orthogonallyarranged relative to the alignment bore, and the through-extending slotincluding a thumb wheel positioned within the through-extending slot,the thumb wheel threadedly receiving the support rod coaxially throughthe thumb wheel to permit rotation of the thumb wheel and relativepositioning of the semi-cylindrical support relative to the forwardmounting block to accommodate further bottles of various configurationsmounted upon the rear saddle and the semi-cylindrical support.